Israelitische Gemeenschap van Antwerpen

Every Day during the Corona crisis our Advisory Board Member Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs (NL) writes a diary, on request of the Jewish Cultural Quarter in Amsterdam,  which is published on the website of the NIW, the only Jewish Dutch Magazine. Rabbi Jacobs is the head of Inter Governmental Relationships at the Rabbinical Centre of Europe. We will be regularly publishing a selection of his informative, sometimes light hearted, but always wise pieces.
For our Dutch readers you can follow the diary every day at NIW home page: https://niw.nl and then: scroll down.
Ambassadors are like Rabbis…
Today was all about abroad. The Ambassador of Hungary had invited me to lunch at his embassy. We have known each other for a few years, meet from time to time and so again today. Reason for the visit? No. Just catching up again about kosher slaughter, which was threatening to become a problem in Poland and the relationship between Hungary and Israel.
Because it would not be exactly easy to arrange a kosher meal at the Hungarian embassy, ​we (my wife and I) invited him to lunch with us.
So,the ambassador came to Amersfoort and we not to The Hague. Not wanting to come empty-handed, he brought a huge bouquet of flowers and a bottle of kosher wine.
How did he get that wine? The ambassador called his friend Naor (the ambassador of Israel) and he arranged for a bottle of kosher Israeli wine from the IPC – the Israel Products Center – in Nijkerk to be delivered to the Hungarian embassy that morning. And because the Ambassador of Hungary did not know about the existence of the IPC, which is ten minutes from my house, I took him there after lunch. Of course I made sure that in addition to the tour and explanation about the objective of IPC and Christians for Israel, he also received a pack of cookies. Because: tomorrow the ambassador of Israel will visit the Hungarian ambassador and then it seemed nice that I then pay back the bottle of wine via a roll of kosher Israeli biscuits.
Apart from that, I gave the ambassador a mask with “I love Israel” on it, so that the Hungarian ambassador can wear it when the Israeli ambassador comes to make his appearance.
Networking is something like that. Usually it does not deliver on the spot, but is important nonetheless. Ambassadors do no different, and are a bit like rabbis, at least my kind of rabbis.
Because I believe that the rabbi is of course primarily there for the Jewish community in its full breadth. But for that Jewish community, contact with outside that community is also of vital importance, because we are part of the wider society: Noah had to leave the Ark by order of Gd!
Apart from the importance for the Jewish community, we also have a duty, in my opinion, to contribute to the well-being of the surrounding society. Yesterday I had a visit from another kind of ambassador, namely Dr. Pieter de Boer, member of the deputy Church and Israel of the CGK-Christelijk Gereformeerde Kerken- and spokesperson of the Interkerkelijke Werkgroep. That Working Group had drawn up a statement of guilt on the attitude of the churches during and shortly after the war. Today, that statement of guilt was officially released.
Although for me such a debt declaration is not really necessary, I was especially touched by the comment about what went wrong after the war. My grandfather and grandmother’s nephews and nieces were not allowed to be raised with my grandfather and grandmother, but were to remain in the Christian homes where they had been in hiding. Of course, those parents had bonded with the kids, saved their lives, but … they really hadn’t given up their murdered parents with the intention of being raised as Christians.
And whilst with the ambassador: a phone call from Ukraine. One of the rabbis was in a conflict with Christians for Israel supporting him with an adoption project. People in the Netherlands adopt a poverty-stricken Jewish family in Ukraine for € 25 per month. In Kirovograd, communication between the Dutch donors and the local rabbi did not go well. And so I get a call from the rabbi and start mediating or solving, as a kind of ambassador of whom I really don’t know, but I am somewhere in between.
After the necessary phone calls, I hope that I have been able to straighten everything out again and that it also runs smoothly in Kirovograd. What is difficult here is that the local rabbi speaks fluent Russian, but no Yiddish, poor English and not optimal Hebrew, and certainly no Dutch! But I believe I’ve been able to tie things together again. In the meantime, I am waiting for the results of an archival investigation to confirm someone’s Jewishness. I feel that it can be checked that way, but not everyone shares my opinion that (almost) everything should be tackled immediately. In principle, I always answer e-mail immediately.
As a result, I sometimes spend late at night behind that stupid computer that has been controlling my whole life!
But Good news! At least in my opinion. Because, of course, it is really not the case that a hundred listeners are more important than ten at a lecture, and the same goes for the number of readers of my diaries, still, I have to admit my weakness in this, I like that my diaries are getting wide read. And so: Good news for me! Coincidentally (although I really believe that coincidence does not exist) the EJA –European Jewish Association- saw one of my diaries, translated it with Google and asked permission to post this diary a few times a week on their website and their Facebook. And thus more readers. My diary is going European!

Date: 15 May 2023

Immediate Release

EUROPEAN JEWISH LEADERS CONFERENCE IN PORTO.

THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR:

ANTISEMITISM IS UNIQUE AND MUST BE SEPARATED IN NATIONAL PLANS FROM OTHER FORMS OF HATE – CALLS ON OTHER JEWISH GROUPS TO REJECT “INTERSECTIONALITY” DUE TO ZIONIST EXCLUSION AND LACK OF ANY SOLIDARITY WITH JEWS

In resolution Jewish Leaders call on Israeli Politicians to rise above differences and to remember that all of Israel are responsible for each other, as well as for legislation that bars EU politicians with avowed antisemitic positions from office.

Israel’s Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli fires up delegates in message:

“In times of tension here in the Middle East, the Jews in the diaspora, whether it’s Europe or the States, unfortunately, are suffering as well.  We are working constantly to make sure that every community will be protected…We are also witnessing troubling trends like the intention of the European Students Union to embrace the BDS movement- this is very bothersome to us, and we are afraid that this will hurt Jewish students who study on different campuses across Europe. Against these threats and many more, we will have to work together, determined and wisely. We must pay close attention – the campaign against the BDS movement and the New Antisemitism should be addressed as a WAR. There is no place for despair or giving in.”

European Jewish Association Chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin, opening conference, says:

“How many people here have actually been asked by a government official or politician what a Jewish future should look like, or what should be in any plan?  Not nearly enough. We must change this. Right now, as we meet, governments across Europe are coming forward with plans affecting Jewish life in Europe. We must ask ourselves what kind of future we want to see?  And what part all of us can do to make that vision a reality? We are one community undivided by borders, when we speak with one voice, we are stronger together.”

European Commission Vice-President, Mr Margaritis Schinas praised EJA for its contribution to make Jewish life viable and ensuring the prosperity of European Jewry and noted that:

“Anti-Semitism is on the rise and unfortunately, Jewish institutions across the continent are required to invest more and more in security. The data shows that approximately 38% of the Jews in Europe are considering leaving Europe because they feel unsafe. This is a shame and it’s the responsibility of every government in the EU to protect its Jewish citizens.”

Schinas noted that 19 EU governments have so far released national action plans to combat antisemitism and stressed that “Europe strives in its diversity,” 

World Zionist Organisation Head of Department for combatting antisemitism Raheli Baratz-Rix said, “Antisemitism is not a new term, but a term that reinvents itself. Antisemitism is familiar to us from history; however, it is still very present in our lives and continuously adjusts itself to current events. Even today there are rising voices not only from marginalized groups, but also from major groups in the global public, that threaten to take over the discourse and public space. We refuse to forget what can happen and where it can lead to, therefore we must not provide these groups any platform”

Gabriel Senderowicz , President of Jewish Community of Oporto:

“Many European governments confuse Jewish life with Jewish heritage. They think of Judaism as ancient houses that have been rehabilitated and some municipal museums that open on Shabbat. I am honored to be president of a community that has synagogues that respect traditional Judaism, that has kosher restaurants, films of history, a Jewish museum closed on Shabbat, and a Holocaust Museum that welcomes 50,000 children a year and teaches them that the aim of the Final Solution was to exterminate the Jews and not minorities in general.”

(Porto 15 May 2023) The European Jewish Association Annual Conference “Shaping the Future of European Jewry Together” begins today in Porto, Portugal. In partnership with the Jewish Community of Porto and the influential EMIH community of Hungary headed up by Rabbi Shlomo Koves, the conference gathers over a hundred Presidents and Board Members of Jewish Communities across Europe, and the participation of government and regional special envoys for Combatting Antisemitism.

The two-day Conference included: panel discussions on the national plans for combatting antisemitism that are starting to come forwards, online hate, a new youth leaders programme for campus activity and youth experiences of hate, ending the trade in Nazi memorabilia, bringing forwards a women’s leadership forum, and more.

Other notable figures addressing the conference included: European Commission Vice-President Margaritis Schinas, The General Secretary of the French Inter-ministerial delegation for the fight against racism and antisemitism, Mrs Elise Fajgeles, the Personal Representative of Chairman in Office on Combatting antisemitism OSCE Rabbi Andrew Baker, Chair of the Woman’s Impact Forum at the World Jewish Congress, Ruth Wasserman Lande, World Zionist Organisation Head of Department for combatting antisemitism Raheli Baratz-Rix, and the CEO of NGO Monitor Prof. Gerald Steinberg.

The Conference also took in a Jewish tour of Porto and delegates took part in a remembrance service for those that perished in the Inquisition.

The Conference culminated in a resolution, passed by vote in a show of hands, that will be forwarded to governments across Europe and to the Leadership of the European Union Institutions. The Resolution states that antisemitism is a unique and must the separated in national plans from other forms of hate, it calls on other Jewish organisations to reject “intersectionality” due to Zionist exclusion and a lack of solidarity with Jews. In the resolution the Jewish Leaders also called on Israeli Politicians to rise above differences and to remember that all of Israel are responsible for each other, and finally urged governments for legislation that bars from office EU politicians with avowed antisemitic positions.

Rabbi Shlomo Koves, President of EMIH in Hungary, who partnered with the EJA and Jewish Community in Porto and whose own efforts in Hungary have seen a renaissance of Jewish life and Institutions in Budapest and the country as a whole, added: “As years go by after the Holocaust, some social and political movements in Europe may want to forget it and say that antisemitism is just another kind of hatred, nothing unique about it. This is a dangerous attitude for the future of the Jewish community in Europe. Antisemitism is a unique and insidious form of hate that requires separate attention and action from other forms of prejudice. While we stand in solidarity with all those who fight against hate, we cannot allow our struggle against antisemitism to be subsumed within broader ‘intersectional’ movements that fail to acknowledge the unique and specific nature of anti-Jewish bias or reject our connection to Zionism. At the same time, Jewish communities across Europe must come together to shape our own future and demand action from our governments and EU leadership. We need to work in solidarity to ensure the safety and flourishing of our communities, and to make clear that antisemitism has no place in our societies.”

Elise Fajgeles – General Secretary Inter- Ministerial delegation for the fight against racism and anti-Semitism (DILCRAH): “France faces anti-Semitism from both the far-right and the far-left. Anti-Semitism on the far-left is the most visible and vocal. But on the far-right that pretend to defend Jews against Islamic Antisemitism, prominent political figures want to ban ritual slaughter that will eventually prevent Jews to practice their own religion and consequently question their vey future in France. We are focusing our efforts on both prevention and repression of Antisemitism. We are funding more than 90 associations that are engaged against racism and Antisemitism. We are working with the teachers to raise the issue of Antisemitism, educate them about it and give them the tools to fight it in schools when French Jews must face Antisemitism. We are also working with universities. We have created a network of referents educated and trained against Antisemitism in every university to organise conferences about it and refer to the French state when antisemitic acts are committed against Jews in universities. We have banned associations and groups who propagates Antisemitism, from ultra-right to Islamist organizations and radical mosques and we also are much aware of the fact that anti-Zionism is the reinvented modern form of Antisemitism.”

Pedro Bacelar de Vasconcelos, Coordinator antisemitism of Portugal: We are prepared for with guidelines on fighting antisemitism and promoting Jewish life. Antisemitism is not only hate speech. Speaking about it means awareness of Holocaust.

Chief Rabbi of the Netherlands,Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs: The 80% of Dutch Jews who were killed in the Holocaust lost their voice. Before the war, Jews were integrated in Holland; not assimilated, but integrated. There were many Jewish communities all over Holland. Now there is a serious need for restitution. In Holland nowadays there is anti-Zionism and it’s exactly the same thing as anti-Semitism. It’s a virus. It’s a political issue. Left-wing parties don’t want to talk about it though. That creates a lot of anti-Semitism.

Edward Odoner Chairman of the Review Board, TSKZ (Poland): The Jewish community in Poland doesn’t feel antisemitism on a daily basis. That’s why the Polish government has no problem to not have a plan to combat antisemitism. But this doesn’t mean that there are no antisemites in the country. This also why Poland has bad press because people think it

has no action against antisemitism.  Poland just commemorated the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and this was the initiative of the Polish government and President.

Ellen Van Praagh – Chair IPOR (Netherlands): Every time they talk about Palestinians, they ignore the position of Dutch Jews. Many Dutch Jews are leaving to Israel, the US, and anywhere else. We have some political parties that are openly antisemitic and don’t believe in the existence of the State of Israel. We have been living in the Netherlands for many generations and this is our home.

Ruth Wasserman Lande, Chair of Women’s Impact Forum, World Jewish

Congress (WJC): When I lived in Cairo it was obvious that it was difficult as a Jew, as an Israeli, to deal with the inherent misconceptions and antagonism. In Boston I expected something very different, however I met people who were afraid of the Holocaust coming back. I now understand the sentiment of those Jewish people in Boston. It’s obvious why that was the case, as anti-Semitism is on the rise. We need to bring it home to the Israelis, just how amazing it is to have both religious and secular people here together. We should work on operatively building these ties – as Israelis are part of us, and we are part of them. This is our strength.

An Israeli rabbi explains why he swapped the West Bank settlement of Tekoa for strengthening cross-community ties in Malmö
“We, the Jews and Muslims in Malmö, have only one thing to say to one another: Salaam, Shalom.”
Those were the words chosen by the Jewish and Muslim communities for their public declaration in the southern Swedish city of Malmö last month, inspired by an earlier advertisement in the Daily Telegraph in the UK.
In previous years, the integration problems faced by Malmö’s large, mainly Muslim migrant population have earned it a reputation as a “problematic city”, with frequent reports of antisemitic attacks against people and property.
But the advert, published in the Swedish daily Sydsvenskan on a Friday last month to mark the end of Eid, was part of an effort to project a different image for the city.
“We, the Jews and Muslims living in Malmö, are uniting against any display of discrimination, hatred, prejudice and xenophobia,” the advertisement read.
“Jews and Muslims in Malmö stand together in the fight against antisemitism, Islamophobia, and any form of racism and discrimination against minorities.
“We believe meeting and getting to know one another and our traditions will help us better appreciate and respect one another.
“We are convinced this is the only way forward for a shared, better and safer future in the city of Malmö. Shabbat Shalom, Eid Mubarak.”
It was signed by Malmö’s Jewish and Muslim communities as well as Amanah, a project aimed at building trust and better relations between the two.
Such an advertisement would not have been possible even a year ago, Amanah’s Israeli co-director Moshe David Hacohen said.
Rabbi Hacohen, 38, started the organisation with local prominent imam Salahuddin Barakat after moving to Malmö from the West Bank settlement of Tekoa with his family in the spring of 2017.
His explicit mandate was to both serve as the city’s rabbi and to foster dialogue with the Muslim community.
Since then, he and Imam Barakat have visited dozens of schools and organised text-based learning nights covering topics relevant to both faiths — such as the binding of Isaac (or Ishmael, according to the Muslim tradition); circumcision; and rules relating to food.
According to the rabbi, the advertisement shows that the work to build trust between the two communities and to change the conversation about them is bearing fruits.
“We didn’t want people to think that our initiative was carried out by individuals without the backing of the larger communities,” he said.
“For this reason, after Salahuddin and I came up with the idea of an ad similar to the one published in the UK, we brought it before the boards of the Jewish Community of Malmö, and the Malmö Muslim Network.
“After all the work we have done together, they approved it without thinking twice.”
He also attended an iftar, the meal that breaks the Ramadan fast of every evening, with the representatives of ten different Muslim communities.
But not everything has gone smoothly.
Rabbi Hacohen had been invited to speak at a major Eid celebration attended by over 10,000 people, but the invitation was rescinded by organisers after some protests.
“Some people call me naïve and think that I should be more demanding,” the rabbi said.
“I believe it is crucial to understand how difficult it is for many Muslims to accept someone like me, not only a rabbi, but an Israeli, a settler even,” he explained.
“However, at the same event, before the same audience, the mayor of Malmö Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh mentioned the ad and the importance of our work and for me this is already a step forward.”
“We still have a long way to cover, but it is important to acknowledge the progress we are making.”
The article was published on The JC

Responding to the decision (for the full article please go HERE) , The head of the Brussels-based European Jewish Association Rabbi Menachem Margolin said in a statement:

“With a worrying rise in anti-Semitism across the European Continent, we can only applaud the German government’s decision to appoint an anti-Semitism monitor. Germany is fully aware of what can happen when anti-Semitism is allowed to ferment and grow. Their decision is therefore timely as well as courageous. It is not an easy thing to acknowledge that the oldest hatred, that many believed to be a defunct ideology never dies but just remains dormant, waiting for populism and nationalism to feed it and breathe new life into it.

‘The EJA has been at forefront of raising awareness of this rising threat across Europe, and we are delighted that the principal drivers of Europe, the German government have taken this initiative. It now falls on other European states to follow this inspiring lead and set up a European wide network of monitors to eradicate the poison that is anti-Semitism directly at its source.”